No surgery for Quentin ... knock on wood

OAKLAND, Calif. – Quentin’s Law has dictated this season that if anything can go wrong with the White Sox outfielder, it has.

Slow start, plantar fasciitis in his left foot and now a dinged up knee, it seemed only inevitable for Carlos Quentin that he would indeed need to have offseason surgery on his left foot to remedy a problem that cost him two months on the disabled list.

But on Sunday, Quentin offered up some good news on that front.

“You know what, we’ve talked to doctors in the past and they have clarified with me exactly what that’s about, that type of surgery and what it means,” Quentin said. “As of now, there’s nothing like that in the future. It’s actually more beneficial for me to just let it heal. With how it’s going right now, I think we’ll have that opportunity, definitely, so surgery is not really an option right now.”

That was a far cry from the scenario Quentin was painting midway through his rehab process, when he said that with the tendon in his foot partially torn, there were concerns it would completely tear when he resumed playing, and even if it didn’t, surgery – along with a two-month recovery – was a possibility they were exploring.

Not now.

“I’m happy with how it’s held up,” Quentin said. “I’ve had to deal with some other stuff because of it, but it is what it is. I’m happy with the fact that it hasn’t come back, I haven’t re-injured it, which was definitely a possibility. Knock on wood, I don’t want to sound like I’m past anything, but I feel like I can maintain how it is hopefully for the remainder of the year, so I’m happy about that.”

What he’s not real thrilled about? His performance at the plate. Quentin was 20-for-89 (.225) with three home runs and nine RBI in his 23 games since coming off the DL, and was 1-for-15 in his last three games.

That earned him a day of rest on Sunday, as manager Ozzie Guillen opted to sit Quentin in the series finale.

“Right now, Carlos is really struggling,” Guillen said. “I’m trying to get him rest, more mentally than physically.”

Guillen was asked if Quentin’s injuries had anything to do with his struggles, and didn’t think that was the case.

“I don’t think, at least not that I know, that the injuries are bothering him in swinging the bat,” Guillen added. “I just don’t think he’s swinging the bat real well, and he’s gotten a little bit better last week swinging the bat, but right now I think he’s putting too much pressure on himself. He’s trying to do too much. That’s what I see from here. He should go out there and just try to be himself. Make sure everyone else takes care of themselves.”